Fluids in hydrocarbon formations may be accessed via wellbores that extend down into the ground toward the targeted formations. In some cases, fluids in the hydrocarbon formations may have a low enough viscosity that crude oil flows from the formation, through production tubing, and toward the production equipment at the ground surface. Some hydrocarbon formations comprise fluids having a higher viscosity, which may not freely flow from the formation and through the production tubing. These high viscosity fluids in the hydrocarbon formations are occasionally referred to as “heavy oil deposits.” In the past, the high viscosity fluids in the hydrocarbon formations remained untapped due to an inability to economically recover them. More recently, as the demand for crude oil has increased, commercial operations have expanded to the recovery of such heavy oil deposits.
In some circumstances, the application of heated treatment fluids (e.g., steam and/or solvents) to the hydrocarbon formation may reduce the viscosity of the fluids in the formation so as to permit the extraction of crude oil and other liquids from the formation. The design of systems to deliver the steam to the hydrocarbon formations may be affected by a number of factors.